US military destroys Iranian vessels after drone incident in Strait of Hormuz

The US military destroyed two small Iranian vessels after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted to seize an American drone in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the latest flashpoint in a months-long military confrontation that has essentially shut down one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. The incident adds to a rapidly escalating cycle of provocation and retaliation that began with US strikes on February 28, 2026. Since then, the narrow waterway that normally handles around 20 million barrels of oil per day, roughly 20% of global petroleum consumption, has turned into something closer to an active conflict zone than a commercial shipping route. A chokepoint that’s actually choking Daily commercial transits through the Strait of Hormuz have plummeted to an average of about three vessels as of mid-September 2026. Before the crisis, that figure was approximately 74, meaning traffic has fallen to roughly 4% of pre-crisis levels. On September 15, 2026, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for downing multiple US MQ-1 drones, including two on the same day. The drone seizure attempt that prompted the destruction of the two Iranian vessels fits into this broader ...